I’m very excited about today’s post. I have the pleasure of sharing Emily’s 3rd cookbook with you all today! She is one amazing lady, I tell ya. She is just going through creating these cookbooks like a breeze. I’m probably most excited about this one because the first one was all desserts, 2nd was snacks and smoothies and this one is an overall cookbook with lots of daily meals for dinners and lunch. I reviewed both of her other books and this one is just as fantastic. I am so excited about it. As Emily describes it, “A balance of Raw and Lightly-cooked, Gluten-free, Plant-based Meal for Healthy Living”.
Emily’s blog, This Rawsome Vegan Life, is extremely successful and even though she is known for raw food, I love that this book has a ton of cooked recipes. I do not follow a raw diet, so this fits more into my daily lifestyle and eating. Emily is also known for her simplicity, which you all know I love and focus on as well with my own recipes. So, getting to have her cookbook is a joy. Her book is full of stunning, colorful and captivating photos which she has done herself. Everything is fresh and bright and makes  you excited to make the recipe.
Her book contains over 80 recipes, all accompanied with a beautiful photo, and very easy meals. They are all heavily focused on the simplicity and beauty of veggies. The meals are light, not heavy, so they won’t weigh you down. There are a ton of completely raw recipes and also a lot of lightly-cooked recipes. If you check out Emily on Instagram, you can get a pretty good idea of the type of food you would see in her cookbook! Light, fresh, easy and simple.
I was immediately drawn to this Penne Pesto, that I’m sharing with you today (thank you Emily!) because I loved how easy it was and I LOVE basil. Oh, and I LOVE pasta and wanted something more on the filling side. This has a strong flavor from all of the fresh basil and bold flavor of pine nuts. It was awesome on the hearty penne pesto. I did add a tiny amount of nutritional yeast and lemon juice to my pesto in the blender, just because I love adding that to pestos and the slight cheesy flavor it gives (kind of like parmesan). It was really easy and delicious and topped with the roasted grape tomatoes, it is a beautiful idea and adds another wonderful flavor to the dish.
A big gorgeous plate of green pesto penne pasta. Major yum in the tum. No dairy, no oil, yet creamy and rich and delish.
Emily is allowing me to share this beautiful recipe for her cookbook with you all today!
Penne Pesto (This Rawsome Vegan Cookbook Giveaway!)
Ingredients
- 1 dry pint 275 g grape tomatoes
- 2 cups 232 g uncooked whole grain, gluten-free penne
- 2 cups 48 g lightly packed basil leaves
- 1/4 cup water as needed
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 teaspoon himalayan salt
- 1 garlic clove
- Extra basil for garnish: 1 cup 24 g lightly packed basil leaves
- Note: I added a little bit of nutritional yeast and lemon juice to mine as well for more flavor. I like them in my pesto. I also only used a tiny amount of chopped basil to eat with.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 Celsius). Cut all the tomatoes in half and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are bubbling and slightly wrinkled.
- Cook the pasta according the package directions.
- To make the pesto: blend all the ingredients (except the 1 cup garnish basil), except the water, until you reach the desired consistency. Add water as needed. I used the full 1/4 cup because I wanted mine smooth. Add more salt if you want.
- Toss the pesto with the penne and the remaining cup of basil and serve with the roasted tomatoes.
Emily is gracious enough to offer a reader of mine a chance to win one of her beautiful cookbooks. To enter the giveaway, simple enter the Rafflecopter below. You must be a subscriber of my blog in order to qualify. All entries will be verified and the winner will be notified via email. Open to US residents only, thank you!
CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you are not already a subscriber, you can subscribe to my blog here.
Ah, Emily is amazing! One of my favorite bloggers! Her photography is just so stunning too! I’m so excited about her new cookbook (and not that she has time to post on her blog again! Hahahaha!)
I’ve been looking for a recipe like this where I wouldn’t miss the Parmesan cheese found in regular pesto. Thanks!
Would also love to enter the giveaway 🙂
Love, love, love pesto pasta! Love the addition of roasted tomatoes!
raw brownies!!
My favorite raw recipe would be smoothies. I love mixed berries, a banana, kale, tb of PB and almond milk.
Another great vegan cookbook to kick off the New Year!
I love a raw strawberry cheesecake that a local restaurant makes. I would love to make it, but I am not that skilled in the kitchen. That’s why I am so thankful for others who can experiment and create recipes – excited to check out this new cookbook! By the way, the ingredients are raw cashews, pecans, dates, strawberry, agave, lemon, coconut oil, salt, and vanilla…if you want to give it a whirl. 😉 We tried your Creole Okra Corn Soup last night, and my husband said, “This is pretty good,” which means “Please make this again!”
sounds like a wonderful cookbook and that pasta looks amazing.
Hope I win!
I’d love to win! I love the recipes you post on this site!
I love vegan desserts, and this cookbook will help come up with ideas for whole meals from start to finish.
Thanks-Peggy
Looking at the photo, I thought for sure there was an avocado in there! I’m looking forward to making this and would L O V E to win! We are new’ish Vegan’s and only have one cookbook so far.
I literally just checked this out from the library yesterday! So far everything looks delicious and easy to make…I’d love to own it!
I love stuffing dry dates with things like coconut, nut butters, etc
I am SO excited to step into eating Raw! So far my only experience with Raw are salads and salad dressings. I need this cookbook! 🙂
Thanks for the review, Brandi. I don’t follow a raw diet either so I’m happy to hear that there are some cooked recipes in the book. I’m loving all of the new vegan cookbooks that are being released right now.
You show two cups basil and then one cup basil
Yes, that is from her cookbook. That is because in the directions, you add the first 2 cups to the blender and the last cup as garnish at the end, if desired. I only used a small amount as garnish, personally.
My daughter will LOVE this recipe!!! I’m making it for her tonight =)
Thanks for the recipe <3
Gazpacho is one of my favorite raw recipes. And that pesto is beautiful! I love that it’s not full of oil.
I love going out to our garden and picking all the ingredients I need to make our meals for the day … Nothing like it!!!
I love salads especially with avocado.
Oh my goodness this recipe looks delicious!!! I can’t imagine what other yummy creations are in the cookbook! Thank you so much Brandi! You are doing such great work with your cooking! I was in a rut with my dairy-free vegetarian diet until I found your blog and your MAGNIFICENT RECIPES! Thank you so much for all the effort you put into this blog!
My favorite raw snack is definitely my mom’s dehydrated broccoli which we dipped in her homemade tangy tahini sauce! Yummy!
Aww Abby that was such a sweet comment, thank you so much!! I’m so happy you love my blog and are enjoying the recipes! Good luck on the giveaway on Emily’s cookbook!
Thanks for hosting this giveaway, Brandi! You are still one of my faves! I love raw soups and dips, but a quick, raw dessert is always a winner in my eyes. Thanks again 🙂
Emily has such a beautiful eye for capturing photos – I’ve always admired her style! Thanks for giving us this awesome opportunity Brandi 🙂
Oh I can’t wait to try this recipe! Love raw smoothies.
Looks delish! Thanks for the opportunity to win!
I think raw cheezecake with a raspberry sauce….no…wait…..raw tacos…..well…maybe raw carrot ginger soup….OMG!!! I can’t pick just one thing!!!!
I like raw food best for breakfast such as overnight oats!
My favorite raw recipe is probably a dessert I make. It’s basically nuts and/or seeds processed with cacao, coconut oil, and a little sweetener and then rolled into balls.
Emily has some really fun recipes, especially for the summer time when I don’t want to cook with any heat and make my house hotter! I love her raw brownies and cookies!
Like this recipe. I am a pesto lover… I add it to lots of things as I find it refreshing and basil is so aromatic. I’m intrigued about adding lemon juice and will definitely try it!
I love pesto so much! And tomatoes and pesto are such a match made in heaven! I also love Emily’s blog and all of her recipes. Such a great book to have!
My favorite raw recipe is definitely for your raw caramel white chocolates.
Oh wow, thank you so much! Such a compliment!
i love all kinds of chopped salads! thanks for the giveaway, the book looks gorgeous!
Pesto is my favorite raw recipe. This one looks delicious! 🙂
All kinds of chopped salads – ideally with nuts and avocado!
Pesto, banana ice cream and smoothies are a few of my faves!
This looks delicious! I love pesto and I really enjoy fresh salads! I guess you could just say I like all healthy foods 🙂
Oh my goodness I cannot WAIT for Emily’s new cookbook! Two of my favorite bloggers linking up for a giveaway?! YES PLEASE! This pesto pasta looks to-die-for.
This is actually a perfect cookbook for me because starting tomorrow some of my friends and I are doing the “Raw Until 4” challenge and we don’t really know what we’re going to eat besides smoothies, salad and raw fruit and vegetables! Emily’s site (and her book) will help us so much! Do you have any meal suggestions/ tips/ advice for us?
My favorite raw recipe is banana ice cream. It’s so simple but I just can’t get over how delicious it is! And it’s healthy! Yay!!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us and for doing the giveaway! xx
Love the addition of tomatoes – I always find pesto incomplete without it!
I love Emily’s recipes and books, she is the queen of simplicity and I could just look at the photos for forever. Plus she uses lots of bananas and dates in her desserts, so of course I’m a fan lol! This Penne Pesto sounds fabulous, your photos look really delicious! I love your review and I’m really excited about this giveaway!
Thank you Natalie! I tried to do her recipe justice with the photos! Her book is amazing!
Emily is amazing! Such a fantastic review, Brandi! I love how easy this recipe is. I don’t follow a raw diet so I’m pretty excited that are so many cooked recipes inside.
Adding this to my menu for next week! Thanks for sharing!
frozen banana icecream
Thanks for the idea of using water instead of olive oil. Also I use raw cashews because of the cost of pine nuts and it comes out delish. BTW I and my non vegan bf enjoy your recipes. Thank you!!
I love salads of all sorts but really love raw truffles! There are so many delicious ways to pack tons of nutrients in a decadent little ball!
This looks amazing! And it can’t get much more simple than that!!
I love zucchini noodles!! Zoodles!!!
Definitely raw deserts.. I just can’t get enough.
your recipes are AMAZING!! I have tried countless of your recipes and have never been let down. Thank you for what you do!
That means so much to me Vivian, thank you so much!
I definitely love nice cream with chia seeds and cacao!
Yummy pesto! One of my favorites. I had not thought of using water and no oil at all! Beautiful with the tomatoes, too!
This is exciting, as I am trying to incorporate more lightly-cooked and raw foods into my diet! I love raw desserts, but I need to expand beyond that.
Raw desserts are the best!!
My favorite raw food? GIANT RAW SALADS for lunch! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Raw just about anything! Raw brownie bites, raw strawberry pie (see a theme here? dessert!), lovely raw salads! This recipe looks so delicious!
Brandi, your photos are gorgeous!!! I’m a HUGE fan of pesto (AND pasta) so I know I’d love this. Nothing better than lots of fresh basil! I love that you added some nutritional yeast – I do the same when I make pesto. I love Emily’s other books, so I can’t wait to check this one out! When we used to eat mostly raw, we were all about homemade raw chocolates and loaded veggie salads. Great review, my friend!
Aww you are so sweet Mandy! Thank you so much, so glad you love these photos!! Mmmmm, yes, raw chocolates!!
This dish looks so good! I love raw desserts so much!
Emily has great recipes! So simple and delicious!
I am new to raw food except for smoothies (which I love)
I love love love salads!! Thank you for the chance to win this great cookbook and I cannot wait to try this pasta! 🙂
I haven’t yet focused my attention very much upon raw vegan, so I don’t have many favorites at this time. However, I love my “overnight oatmeal” breakfast which I eat every morning! (I’ve been eating it EXCLUSIVELY for about 3 years now, every single day, simply because I LOVE it, and it gives me so much energy, plus I know it’s nourishing my body so well.
Here’s my recipe, just for fun, for anyone out there who’s curious. Try it, you’ll love it! . . .
10 g. (approx. 1 T.) SEEDLESS RAISINS
4-5 g. (approx. 1-1/2 to 2 tsp.) RAW WALNUT PIECES
7 g. (approx. 1 level T.) FLAXSEED MEAL
2 oz. (1/4 c.) UNSWEETENED SOY MILK
6 oz. (3/4 c.) WATER
1 medium-to-large BANANA
70 g. (1/2 c.) FROZEN BLUEBERRIES
70 g. (1/2 c.) FROZEN STRAWBERRIES
70 g. (1/2 c.) FROZEN DARK SWEET CHERRIES
1 tsp. GROUND CINNAMON
1 dash each: Ground (each) Coriander Seed, Clove, Nutmeg, Allspice and Ginger
Mix together thoroughly in a container with a tight lid, seal and refrigerate at least 6-8 hours.
NOTE: I also love raw bananas, cut into bite-size (1″) pieces, and frozen, for a quick “raw snack”!
Hello incredibly creative, talented and beautiful Brandi, and ALL THE REST of you sweet, wonderful people….
I’ve only been subscribing to this SPECTACULAR website/blog for a few months, and have LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! And the other day (Jan. 9th) was my very FIRST time posting a comment and, well, I must’ve been on some other PLANET that day as I forgot to include the OATS in the recipe for my favorite RAW recipe!!!….Anyway, for anyone saw it the other day and thought I must be some kind of WACKO (actually, that’s sorta true…hahaha!…but only in a fun, silly way…I think!…haha!), AND who may have found that little recipe of mine interesting, and wanted to try it, here it is again, INCLUDING the amount of the oats! (I’M SOOOOO SORRY ‘BOUT THAT OVERSIGHT BRANDI and all you other GALS & GUYS!!!)
DARYL’S FAVORITE RAW OVERNIGHT BREAKFAST
40 g. (1/2 c.) OLD-FASHIONED OATS (dry, uncooked)
10 g. (approx. 1 T.) SEEDLESS RAISINS
4-5 g. (approx. 1-1/2 to 2 tsp.) RAW WALNUT PIECES
7 g. (approx. 1 level T.) FLAXSEED MEAL
2 oz. (1/4 c.) UNSWEETENED SOY MILK
6 oz. (3/4 c.) WATER
1 medium-to-large BANANA
70 g. (1/2 c.) FROZEN BLUEBERRIES
70 g. (1/2 c.) FROZEN STRAWBERRIES
70 g. (1/2 c.) FROZEN DARK SWEET CHERRIES
1 tsp. GROUND CINNAMON
1 dash each: Ground (each) Coriander Seed, Clove, Nutmeg, Allspice and Ginger
Mix together thoroughly in a container with a tight lid, seal and refrigerate at least 6-8 hours.
Pesto is one of my favorites for adding to pasta or even to use as a pizza topping. We have to do without the pine nuts, due to a nut allergy, but sunflower seeds have been a great substitute.
Pesto is my favorite. Because my husband does not share my fondness for pesto, I won’t have to share this dish!
I love soups. Any weather. Any time!!!
Banana ice cream or raw buckwheat porridge
I just have to get my hands on a copy of this book. I love Emily’s blog. She is an amazing recipe creator. This pesto looks so good and I love the tomatoes with it. My kind of dinner!
Perfect timing Brandi! I was just about to make pesto and then I saw this post and decided to go for it. Result: No regrets! Worked perfectly and easy to so, I also added the lemon juice and some nutritional yeast as you recommended, yum! Oh and we had too little pasta so my sister ended up having a pesto toast instead and worked that way too 😀
Awesome Milla! So glad you liked it! Yes, the nutritional yeast and lemon juice really made it to my liking! 🙂
Raw desserts are my favorite!
The pasta looks amazing and I can hardly wait to try it. As for the cookbook, it sounds totally what I’m looking for as I’m new to this way of eating. Thank you for the recipe!
I love basil too and pesto is the best. Looks like the perfect meal!
Pesto is my favorite! I freeze basil I grow in the summer for a treat in the winter.
I can’t stop making vegan Mac n cheese with butternut squash!
I love gazpacho.
Oooh… I love Emily’s recipes and photography heaps. I think you’ve done her recipe justice — beautiful dish <3
I am so loving this book too. I don’t follow a raw diet, but I sure love to incorporate raw foods – this is the best of both!
Love the tomatoes with the pesto, I’d never think of it but totally want to try it. You make it look absolutely delicious! 🙂
My fave raw dessert is anything blended with nuts and dates. Like quality cocoa powder, sea salt, Oats and cinnamon.
I am very excited about this! I’ve been following Emily for years and they have grown to be such an amazing person! I couldn’t be happier or prouder and own their 2 other cookbooks!
Adding this penne pesto to the queue for recipes to make! My favorite raw recipe is a creamy vegan caesar dressing. Just throw a handful of ingredients in the blender – so easy but so flavorful!
Yum, this cookbook sounds great! I am totally with you, I prefer cookbooks that have meals for the whole family, rather than desserts and snacks etc 🙂 Love the sound of this pasta, yum! My favourite thing to eat raw is salads, simple but delicious
Salads are my favorite!:)
I love Emily’s recipes. They always look so beautiful and tasty! 🙂
Congrats to Emily on her new book. I absolutely love pesto. Thanks for the delicious recipe! 🙂
I’d have to say that smoothies would be my favorite. =)
My favorite raw meal would definitely be salads. So easy and so many choices!
Raw Desserts, esp raw carrot cake!!
I love raw desserts. I don’t make them very often, but I’m a fan of raw cashew-based cheesecakes.
I love to make salads. They are my favorite raw foods!
Tasty dishes can be simple too!! Deffo my kinf of recipes 🙂
The photos look amazing again, well impressive. Love the wooden table! But I’m not so sure about the table napkin. Isn’t it a little rough on the lips? ;-)))) (I knowwww I think to practical, sorryyy)
Thank you so much Hauke! That is just a decor fabric, not a legit table napkin, haha!
This looks so creamy!! Love how easy the recipe is! <3
I am a big fan of spinach salads.
Watermelon Gazpacho and raw brownies!
My favorite recipes are baked ones & raw desserts because baking is a skill that I just cannot wrap my head around. It still feels like magic to me! I don’t need recipes to cook & am a full house of inspiration upon opening the fridge for dinner, but baking still stumps me! (Mostly because I don’t measure anything…. maybe that has something to do with it :P)
My favorite raw recipes are most definitely salads with a great variety of vegetables, seeds, nuts, and fruit. I love when I can fill a bowl and remind myself to eat mindfully and appreciate the variety of tastes from all the foods. It is a great treat to be able to eat a lot of healthful food that is actually good for me, especially in this season after the holidays.